The "Voyager 2 has gone bananas!" thread

[Dino]

I got it from the Daily Telegraph, if you want the link, I can find it again, but here's the story:

IT left Earth 33 years ago, now it's claimed the Voyager 2 spacecraft may have been hijacked by aliens after sending back data messages NASA scientists can't decode.
NASA installed a 12-inch disk containing music and greetings in 55 languages in case intelligent extraterrestrial life ever found it.

But now the spacecraft is sending back what sounds like an answer: Signals in an unknown data format!

The best scientific minds have so far not been able to decipher the strange information – is it a secret message?

Alien expert Hartwig Hausdorf said:"It seems almost as if someone had reprogrammed or hijacked the probe – thus perhaps we do not yet know the whole truth"

Engineers are working to solve the data transmissions from the Voyager 2 spacecraft near the edge of the solar system, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said today.

The spacecraft late last month began sending science data 8.6 billion miles to Earth in a changed format that mission managers could not decode.

Engineers have since instructed Voyager 2 to only transmit data on its own health and status while they work on the problem.

Launched in 1977, Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, explored the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and kept on going. Nearly 33 years later, they are the most distant human-made objects.

Voyager 1 is 10.5 billion miles from Earth and in about five years is expected to pass through the heliosphere, a bubble the sun creates around the solar system, and enter interstellar space.

Voyager 2 will follow after that.

1) Was Voyager 2 sabotaged by enemy agents?

Well not really? They would have had it fail around 1977 surely? Make a good film to be shown on FIVE starring Eric Roberts mind!

2) The data is being distorted by the long distance?

Again unlikely, NASA must have planned and worked on this feed for too long to be unfazed and able to decipher these signals?

3) The Doctor has whizzed past and hit it with his sonic?

Well that's as good as any! Because otherwise it's that damned alien life I keep mentioning on various threads on this site!

Any anyway, isn't this what Voyager 2 was originally meant to do?
The NASA engineers will probably "solve" this mystery and everyone can all go to sleep again, but while the night is young!...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Most likely probably someone (terrestrial) has thought of hacking into Voyager - probably would be relatively simple - it was launched in an age pre-home computers, and someone studying it could probably work it out.

Oh and sonic screwdrivers don't work in space ...

[Stuart Wallis]

Or it's just broken down - a bit of dust or rock might have got into or collided with it and sent it haywire. Would be nice if Zozzovonds from planet Crumpo have found it...

[Rob McCow]

Engineers have successfully corrected the memory on NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft by resetting a computer bit that had flipped. Reset commands were beamed up to the spacecraft yesterday, Wed., May 19, and engineering data received today confirm that the reset was successful. The Voyager team will continue monitoring the engineering data, and if the bit remains reset, commands to switch to the science data mode will be beamed up to Voyager 2 on Sat., May 22. Receipt of science data would then resume on Sun., May 23.

Voyager 2 is about 13.8 billion kilometers, or 8.6 billion miles, from Earth. Voyager 1 is about 16.9 billion kilometers (10.5 billion miles) away from Earth.

So that's a stellar bit of 'Turning it off and on again' at a remote distance of 8.6 billion miles.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Ouch ... just done the calculations on the distance away it is, but you're talking about a 12 hour lag each way for info at that distance.

So basically the engineers can request info, and it comes back about 24 hours later. That's interplanetary tech support for you ...

[Stuart Wallis]

Given the distances involved, bear in mind how long it takes to get things out of your local high street bank!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

You're right - 3-5 days. Which means do banks report to a secret mother ship out beyond even Voyager? Or are we being scammed.

Technology in the modern age works at the speed of light, but banks still take 5 days to clear a cheque ...

[Rob McCow]

So clearing a cheque is more difficult than contacting Voyager 2. Perhaps I should put some more work into making my handwriting legible.

[Stuart Wallis]

The Lads can open a bank safe in an hour - far more quickly than the staff...

[Perry Vale]

It's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, all over again!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

It's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, all over again!

[Stuart Wallis]

Message deleted.